Jing Xunce's words left Ruan Ming gaping in shock. The look of disbelief on his face deepened. He could hardly believe that the man standing before him was the very person his father had harmed. But why on earth would he offer to help him? Shouldn't he hate him? Why would he propose to help him restore the glory of the Ruan family?
"What on earth do you want from me? Why do you offer to help me restore the Ruan family? Don't you hate the Ruan family?" Ruan Ming asked, puzzled.
Jing Xunce's name was well - known across the entire continent. Since childhood, he had been the war god of the Qin Dynasty. Although Tule Hao Jia was also valiant, his reputation paled in comparison to Jing Xunce's.
Everyone in every country had known about what had happened to him back then. So Ruan Ming had learned a great deal about it too. Later, he found out that it was his father and Lou Mingkou of the Qin Dynasty who had schemed against him.
He never expected that one day he would see Jing Xunce standing right beside him. Since Jing Xunce could find him, it meant that he must have known the truth. But shouldn't he have come to kill him for revenge?
"Of course, I'm here to look for evidence. Your father's deeds have nothing to do with you. I don't need to take my revenge on you. Moreover, I think it's a great deal. You help me clear my name, and I help you return to the Ruan family. You won't turn down such a good deal, will you?" Jing Xunce said confidently.
Ruan Ming silently weighed the pros and cons in his mind. It was indeed a good deal for him. But if he did this, wouldn't he be putting his father in an unjust and immoral position?
However, if he didn't agree, he might never get such an opportunity in his lifetime. If he missed it, he would surely regret it. His father was already dead. A dead man shouldn't blame him, right?
After a fierce mental struggle, Ruan Ming finally looked up and showed a smile. "Okay, I'll agree to cooperate with you. But if you don't keep your promise, don't blame me for fighting you to the death!"
He had nothing to lose at this point. It was better to take a risk. He had long known that Lou Mingkou was not a kind - hearted man, and the empress was no ordinary person. He had been longing to avenge his father and the Ruan family for a long time. Now the opportunity had finally come!
Jing Xunce also curved his lips into a smile. He knew that Ruan Ming would surely agree. Now everything was finally getting back on track. He had been waiting for this day for a long time...
Ruan Ming led Jing Xunce and Yuan Yuhan back to the Ruan family mansion. It was sealed with official seals, but it couldn't stop the three of them. They directly made their way to Ruan Ming's father's study. The study was filled with ashes, but the furnishings inside were hardly touched.
Following his memory, Ruan Ming quickly found the secret chamber in the study. He checked the mechanism on the bookshelf, and the bookshelf immediately turned ninety degrees, revealing a dark passage.
The three of them walked along the passage. The interior structure was quite similar to that of the study outside. There were also many bookshelves, a table, and even a couch with bedding on it. Apparently, someone had lived there.
Ruan Ming remembered that his father had once said that he never did anything without a plan. So he had prepared a copy of everything and stored it in the secret chamber of the study. He believed that for such a major event, his father would surely have taken precautions. There might be some letters or tokens left behind.
Moreover, he remembered that his father had not told him about these things at first. He had accidentally discovered his father's secret correspondence with the Qin Dynasty by carrier pigeon and thus learned the truth. Those letters must have been left in the secret chamber.
The three of them quickly searched for clues in the secret chamber, but they found nothing unusual. The only strange thing was that the drawers were in a complete mess, as if someone had been there.
Ruan Ming's heart skipped a beat. "It seems we're too late. I'm afraid the clues have been taken away..."
Jing Xunce had also guessed this possibility in his heart. It seemed they were really too late. Could it be Lou Mingkou who had taken the things?
If it was really him, had he already investigated something? Did he already know his identity? Jing Xunce was puzzled, but he knew he had to let it go for the time being.
"Zhanzhi, now that all the clues are broken, we have to think of other ways. Maybe there are other methods. I'm afraid if the things were taken away, they might have been destroyed already," Yuan Yuhan said helplessly.
He had been very excited when he saw the secret chamber. He thought that since General Ruan could think of creating a secret chamber, he would surely have stored all the confidential things in a safe place.
But unexpectedly, after searching for so long, they found nothing. It seemed this lead was also broken. Was it because Lou Mingkou had discovered something and come here in advance to take all the things away?
If it wasn't Lou Mingkou, who else would be interested in this matter? Yuan Yuhan couldn't think of anyone other than Lou Mingkou. No one else would be so calculating.
"Let's go back first. We'll figure out what to do about this later," Jing Xunce said calmly.
Hearing this, Ruan Ming became nervous. "Today's failure isn't my fault. Will you still keep your promise to me?"
"Since I've promised you, I won't go back on my word. What's your plan? Do you want to go on your own or come with us?"
Hearing this, Ruan Ming hesitated again. If he went alone, he might not be as safe as staying with them. If the evidence left by his father had been taken away, he must have become the target of that person. Maybe there was a pair of dark eyes watching him at this very moment.
"If you don't mind, I'd naturally like to travel with you. To be honest, General Jing has always been like a god in my heart. So I'm willing to follow you."
Ruan Ming had to admit Jing Xunce's strength. If nothing bad had happened to him, the Qin Dynasty might have been invincible by now. It was precisely because of his absence that the Qin Dynasty had started to decline.
The three of them returned to the inn together. Jing Xunce still hadn't figured out how to face Mu Fengqie. When he entered the room, he found it empty. It seemed that the people inside had left a long time ago.
Seeing this, he couldn't sit still. Where on earth had Mu Fengqie gone? Had she left because she was angry with him?
He rushed downstairs and asked the innkeeper, "Excuse me, have you seen the two young ladies who were staying upstairs? They're about this tall, extremely good - looking, and seem to be fifteen or sixteen years old?"
The waiter tried hard to recall their appearances in his mind, and then a look of sudden realization dawned on his face.